Department for Transport

East Coast Railway Line

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the incident at Retford on the East Coast Main Line on Thursday 9 March, and given that only hybrid trains can use the diversionary routes that are available, whether they intend to review the decision to go for a mostly electric fleet for the line as part of the Inter City Express Programme; what financial resources are available in Control Period 5, 2014 to 2019, to improve the reliability of the infrastructure on the line; and what resources they plan to make available in Control Period 6, 2019 to 2024.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: There are no plans to review the make-up of the new East Coast fleet. Each electric set also has a small diesel engine so it can get passengers to the next station in the event of de-wirement or power loss. In Control Period 5, Network Rail plan to spend £3 billion (in 2012-13 prices) on maintaining and renewing the London and North East Route, which includes the East Coast Main Line. The planned spend for Control Period 6 will be finalised later this year.

Department for Transport: Assets

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what land or buildings owned by, leased by, or under the control of, the Department for Transport they are seeking to dispose of, and for what purposes.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Information on Department for Transport land and property disposals will be published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in summer 2017 in the Transparency Review.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Council Tax: Surrey

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so what, discussions took place between DCLG and Surrey County Council about plans for a referendum on council tax increases; and if so, whether anyone working in the Prime Minister's office or at No 10 Downing Street was aware of or involved in those discussions.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: As part of the statutory draft Local Government Finance Settlement consultation, the Department for Communities and Local Government and other parts of government discuss local government funding with councils across the country, of all types and all political colours. This happens every year and necessarily involves councils making direct representations to the government.The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government laid a Written Ministerial Statement before the House of Commons on 9 February specifically regarding the conversations that were had between the Department and Surrey County Council about the Local Government Finance Settlement. The WMS (attached) can be found at the following link:https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-02-09/HCWS470The WMS was also repeated in the House of Lords on 9 February. This can be found (attached) at the following link:https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Lords/2017-02-09/HLWS474/The correspondence between Surrey County Council, MPs, and the Department on this matter is available online:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/surrey-county-council



Commons WMS - HCWS470
(PDF Document, 83.11 KB)




Lords WMS - HLWS474
(PDF Document, 83.37 KB)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

South Sudan: War Crimes

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of evidence of a rise in the number of war crimes committed in South Sudan, whether they will give their support (1) to a transitional administration, and (2) for intervention by the UN and the African Union.

baroness anelay of st johns: We remain deeply concerned by the violence and insecurity in South Sudan along ethnic lines. The UK believes only a meaningful and inclusive political process can lead to a lasting solution to the conflict in South Sudan and end the humanitarian crisis. We fully support the efforts of the region, the African Union and the UN in working to bring peace to South Sudan and to ensure that those who have committed crimes are held to account. We strongly support the UN Mission in South Sudan and are currently in the process of deploying 379 UK troops to it. They will carry out vital engineering and advisory support, and will set up a field hospital in Bentiu.

Kosovo: Rule of Law

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, during the winding down of European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, they intend to continue their support for the rule of law in Kosovo through the local courts and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

baroness anelay of st johns: Support for the rule of law in Kosovo remains a UK priority. We will continue to emphasise improving local justice institutions and the fight against organised crime and corruption in Kosovo, in our bilateral assistance.We support the principles of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission but await full details of its work from the government of Kosovo.

Department for International Development

Yemen: Overseas Aid

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what aid the UK has provided to Yemen in each of the last five years.

lord bates: DFID Yemen’s bilateral funding for Yemen over the last five years is as follows:2016/17: £112 million2015/16: £89.6 million2014/15: £65.9 million2013/14: £84.1 million2012/13: £59.1 million

Yemen: Famine

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation on 15 March that Yemen will face a famine later this year unless immediate action is taken, that 2.2 million children are malnourished, and that children under the age of five are dying from preventable causes.

lord bates: The statement by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and others highlights the need to respond urgently to the food security crisis and prevent loss of life. In February, the Secretary of State issued a call to the international community to step up their response to the risk of famine in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen. The UK has led by example, providing lifesaving nutrition support to 889,000 women and children and food or food vouchers to 462,000 people in 2016/17 so far. We are planning a significant contribution to Yemen in 2017/18.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by Save the Children on 1 March that shipments of aid for Yemen are being delayed, denying people access to medical aid and other essential support; and what assessment they have made of the impact of those delays on the Yemeni people.

lord bates: The UK is extremely concerned to hear of reports from Save the Children that they have experienced delays to delivery of shipments into Hodeidah port, significantly impacting delivery of aid to vulnerable Yemenis.The UK continues to lobby all parties to the conflict to facilitate commercial and humanitarian access. We are supporting the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, which facilitates the flow of commercial items into Yemen through effectively verifying and where necessary inspecting ships, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Humanitarian Air Service to improve access for humanitarian agencies.

Department for Education

Voting Rights: Females

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so how, they will support the Women’s Local Government Society Project From Suffrage to Citizenship which will commemorate the centenary of the suffrage of women through the Representation of the People Act 1918.

lord nash: We will be providing £5m funding for projects to celebrate the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which extended voting rights to women for the first time.This support will help mark the decisive step in the political emancipation of women in this country and encourage more women to engage in democracy.The funding will be for projects that will help build a legacy for the future, by celebrating the upcoming centenary, as well as educating young people about its significance. Details of how organisations can apply for funding, what size grants will be available and when the scheme will start will be announced in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions

Mesothelioma: Compensation

lord wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 9 March (HL5606), how much of the levy raised under the Mesothelioma Act 2014 for the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme in (1) 2014–15, and (2) 2015–16, was spent on (a) compensation, (b) payments to the scheme administrator, and (c) accounting for a deficit or surplus from previous years.

lord henley: In 2014–15, the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS):(a) Paid £24.2m to successful applicants;(b) Paid £140,000 to the scheme administrator to administer the scheme, and;(c) There was no deficit or surplus from previous years. In 2015–16 the DMPS:(a) Paid £29.7m to successful applicants;(b) Paid £160,000 to the scheme administrator to administer the scheme, and;(c) The 2015-16 levy calculation reflected an over-levy of £7.8m from the previous year.

Home Office

Asylum: Detainees

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so what, provision is made, or will be made, for the rehabilitation of (1) asylum seekers detained in detention centres whose claims are successful, (2) individuals who have been detained in detention centres and are subsequently released, and (3) individuals who, in exceptional circumstances, are detained in detention centres for a period of (a) 1 to 2 years, (b) 2 to 3 years, and (c) three years or more.

baroness williams of trafford: All those granted refugee status in the UK are given access to the labour market and benefits, and are encouraged to access organisations that can assist with integration.The Home Office provides integration loans, which are designed to help new refugees to integrate into UK society by offering support towards housing costs, employment and training. For those released after any period of time in detention, service providers in immigration removal centres are required to provide support to detainees to return to life in the community in accordance with Detention Services Order 7/2013, Welfare provision in immigration removal centres, by signposting them to services and organisations which may be able to offer them support.

Asylum: Children

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 22 February (HL5356) stating that in the year ending September 2016 the UK granted asylum or another form of leave to over 8,000 children, what forms of asylum or leave were granted to those children; and how many children there were in each category.

baroness williams of trafford: In 2016 the UK granted asylum or another form of leave to over 8,000 children. This figure includes children granted asylum or another form of leave following an asylum claim, children resettled under our resettlement programmes and those children who were granted family reunion visas.The forms of leave granted to children who have made an asylum claim can include Refugee Leave, Humanitarian Protection, UASC Leave, Discretionary Leave, Grants of Family or Private Life Leave To Remain or Leave Outside The Rules. Children who are resettled to the UK under our resettlement programmes are granted Humanitarian Protection status or Indefinite Leave to Remain depending on the specific resettlement programme. Family reunion visas can be granted to family members of those granted Refugee Status or Humanitarian Protection in the UK, and are granted Leave in line with their relative.The Home Office publishes the number of Asylum applications from main applicants, by age in table as_03 of the Immigration Statistics release. The latest figures are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593028/asylum2-q4-2016-tables.odsThe table has also been attached to this answer.



Table as_03 - Immigration Stats
(Excel SpreadSheet, 3.29 MB)

Immigration

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many further leave to remain cases there were in (1) 2015, and (2) 2016, in which a letter was sent by the Home Office advising an applicant for leave to enter or remain in the UK that their application raised complex human rights issues and would therefore fall outside the usual Home Office service standards.

baroness williams of trafford: Home Office Systems cannot be interrogated in a way that will provide any meaningful response to the question. A manual review of all applications submitted within the stipulated timeframe would be needed in order to provide an accurate response and this would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.Therefore further leave to remain cases there were in (1) 2015, and (2) 2016, in which a letter was sent by the Home Office advising an applicant for leave to enter or remain in the UK that their application raised complex human rights issues and would therefore fall outside the usual Home Office service standards cannot be provided.

Refugees: Children

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to have resettled 3,000 vulnerable children and their families from the Middle East and North Africa under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has committed to resettling to the UK up to 3,000 individuals under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme over the lifetime of this Parliament. Data on the number of people who have been resettled under this scheme will be published in future releases of the Home Office’s immigration quarterly statistics.

Department for International Trade

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the value of UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia in (1) 2010, (2) 2012, (3) 2014, and (4) 2016.

lord price: Arms sales data by region are published annually on GOV.UK. The Government publishes Official Statistics about export licences granted and refused each quarter. The data currently includes details of licences up to 30 September 2016. Data for the period 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016 will be published on 19 April 2017. The data can be accessed on GOV.UK Licences granted are not necessarily a measure of exports shipped in a given period as they are valid for between two and five years. Licensing data only provides a partial indication of sales as exporters only declare export values for a subsection of licences (Standard Individual Export Licences). Some licences expire before they are used and in these circumstances exporters must submit a further application, which can result in an element of double counting. Export values declared for Standard Individual Export Licences for military exports granted in 2010, 2012 and 2014 are as follows: YearValue (£)2010£341,007,0882012£111,721,7562014£80,749,168

Department of Health

Sexually Transmitted Infections

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of treating sexually transmitted diseases in England for each year from 2006 to 2016.

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of treating sexually transmitted diseases among young people, aged 24 years old and under, in England for each year from 2006 to 2016.

lord o'shaughnessy: Data prior to 2013 is not held in the format requested. The following table shows actual local authority public health budget spend on sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment from 2013/14 to 2014/15. Data on spend from 2015/16 onwards will be published in due course. Public health service: Sexual health services - STI testing and treatment (prescribed function)  £ (£'000)Final Revenue Outturn 2013/14382,455Final Revenue Outturn 2014/15379,245 Data on the costs of treating sexually transmitted diseases are not collected by age group. There is additional National Health Service expenditure on sexual health through primary and secondary care services, however these figures cannot be provided on a comparable basis with the data on public health expenditure.

Hepatitis

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how many people in England are infected with hepatitis C but have not yet been diagnosed.

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in England (1) have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, and (2) are engaged with specialist hepatitis C services.

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of peer support in increasing the number of people engaged in hepatitis C care pathways.

lord o'shaughnessy: Most recent estimates suggest that around 160,000 people in England are living with hepatitis C (HCV) infection. Precise figures of the number who remain undiagnosed are not available, however, an estimate of the proportion of people who inject drugs who are diagnosed can be obtained from the Unlinked Anonymous monitoring survey. In this survey, only around one half of people injecting psychoactive drugs sampled are aware of their HCV antibody positive status (53% in 2015), and this figure has remained relatively stable at this level (averaging 52%) over the past decade. The precise number of people diagnosed since reporting began is not available. However, over nearly two decades there has been a steady increase in the number of laboratory confirmed reports of HCV (ever-infected) in England, with a more than fivefold increase between 1996 and 2015. In 2015, 11,605 laboratory reports of individuals testing positive for antibodies to HCV were reported. No specific assessment has been undertaken of the effectiveness of peer support in increasing the number of people engaged in HCV care pathways. NHS England has a specification for 22 HCV Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) to develop local partnerships with a range of stakeholders in order to maximise appropriate uptake and completion of HCV treatment and to cure more people of infection. One requirement of the ODN is to develop links to third sector services to support adherence, peer support and self-management programmes.

Strokes

lord skelmersdale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to replace or extend their stroke strategy.

lord o'shaughnessy: The National Health Service in England will continue to build on the successes of the current stroke strategy. There has been significant, sustained improvement in the quality of stroke care over the last decade and we will continue to deliver our ambition for truly world leading care. That is why the NHS rigorously audits the quality of stroke care across the country each year. It means that we now have some of the fastest improvements in hospital recovery rates for stroke and heart attacks in Europe. Decisions on whether the stroke strategy should be renewed are a matter for NHS England. As NHS England has moved away from disease specific strategies towards guidance that is more cross cutting, and because the stroke strategy remains valid and implementation of it continues, NHS England has no current plans to renew it.

Hospital Wards: Gender

lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Shaughnessy on 13 March (HL5692), in the context of NHS hospital sleeping accommodation, what is their definition of the opposite sex of (1) men, and (2) women.

lord o'shaughnessy: As set out in the guidance Eliminating mixed sex accommodation in hospitals, it is for each trust to determine how best to accommodate patients, taking into account national guidance on action to eliminate mixed sex accommodation, the relevant quality and safety standards, and patients’ own preferences. A copy of the guidance is attached.



Eliminating mixed sex accommodation
(PDF Document, 393.58 KB)